Dream Collapsing
by AngeloftheMorning1978
Summary: WARNING! EROTICA! Set after the events of "Arthur's Betrayal". Arthur and Ariadne must try and save their marriage after his failed inception.
1. Chapter 1

** Set after the events of "Arthur's Betrayal". Arthur and Ariadne must try and save their marriage after his failed inception. **

**Dream Collapsing**

1.

~ "Alright, so you can take the kids to school in the mornings and pick them up after. On Fridays, you can go to Daniel's parent play time." Ariadne said as she laid out a large and intricately worked calender on the dinning room table.

Her estranged husband, Arthur, scowled over the markings. Pink for Darcy, Blue for Dominic and green for Daniel.

"I think we should go to Daniel's parent play time together." He said.

Ariadne sighed.

"The whole point of a trial separation is that we actually _separate_." She said.

Arthur said nothing. His brow angry and his eyes dark.

"I will go to Daniel's school on Wednesdays for parent play time. I've already cleared it with my new job." She told him. "I only have to work Monday's and Tuesdays. Then Thursdays and Fridays. They're really flexible with working mothers."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. If we keep working with Cobb, our hours are much more flexible."

"No." Ariadne said stiffly.

She didn't have to tell him why she had left dream extraction. She could no longer do the work now that her mind had been invaded by the person she trusted so much. She told Cobb it was wrong to violate people's minds like they were doing and she would no longer be apart of it.

"You don't even have to work." Arthur told her as she outlined a generous visitation schedule for him and their children. Time when she would be at her new job, or time when she planned to be out of the house so that Arthur could enjoy a dinner with the little ones.

"Arthur." She said irritably. She didn't want to have this fight again.

"I can more then pay all the bills. You don't have to work. In fact, I would prefer it if you didn't. That way, you can be with the kids more." He told her.

Couldn't she see he wanted to take care of his family? It was his job as husband and father. Why couldn't she let him?

"I _want_ to work." She told him. "It's what I went to school for." She told him.

They said nothing as she silently made adjustments to the schedule. They didn't talk about how Arthur had moved out last week and into a hotel. How Sadie had broken up with Eames when she found out about how the Forger had gone into her mind. The leggy spider woman distraught over what he had done.

How Ariadne had stopped working in dream extraction and how their children were always asking when Papa was coming home.

"So, about the bills. I was going to cover the nanny, the house dues, Daniel's school, Darcy's summer dance camp, Dominic's school." Arthur sighed and thought. "The cell phones, the electric, and I'll cover your credit cards for anything else. Like groceries or things for the kids."

"Arthur, that's _everything_." Ariadne interrupted. "I can pay for things."

"I've already been paying for them. I've got the accounts set up. It's easier this way. I don't want to make a bunch of changes because of a temporary living arrangement." He explained.

"Arthur, it might not be temporary." Ariadne said sadly.

Arthur said nothing. He stepped away from his wife and put his hands in his pockets.  
"I can pay the house dues. It's only fair since I'm living here." She said at last.

"No." Arthur said. "No. I bought this house for our family. It's my responsibility to provide a home for my family."

"Arthur, I don't want to owe you anything." She said growing angry. "I can take care of my children."

"I know you can! Believe me, I know you're dieing to prove how you don't need me!" He barked angrily before walking away.

He hated that calender. Hated setting a schedule when he could see his children. How he couldn't see them when he wanted to. How he had been sleeping in an empty bed in a hotel room since he moved out. How she rarely returned his text messages or didn't even answer her cell when he called.

"Arthur." She said gently. "I'm trying to be fair here. I don't want to hate you. I don't want our children to suffer over this. Lets come to an arrangement, so we don't have to call in the lawyers."

Arthur said nothing.

He wanted to to be angry at her. For being so unforgiving. For sending back the jewelry and roses he had sent her as a means to an apology. For quietly hating him for what he did, but never yelling or hitting him. He would know what to do with that. Anger would mean she still loved him. This was a void of existing that had no emotion.

"Arthur, I don't have to give you any visitation." She said when it looked like he wouldn't compromise. "You know that. The police have it on record you hit me. I don't have to let you see the children at all."

Arthur threw his wife an angry look.

How he had loved her so much once. Not so very long ago, she was the light in a dark world. Now, that light had changed. That light had changed and his world was darker then ever before.

"Alright. The house dues. I'll get the paper work. Fridays will be fine for Daniel." He said in helpless defeat.

"Good. Parent play time starts at 8 and lasts till 3. It's good, it incorporates the people from his world at school and the people from home so the skills will transfer." Ariadne said handing him the calender.

"I'll keep my cell on. Please don't text or call me unless it's about the kids. No more flowers or gifts." She said.

Arthur looked at her hands. She was no longer wearing the blue sapphire engagement ring he had given her. No longer wearing the silver bangle bracelet. She never took that one piece of jewelery off. She wasn't even wearing the silver locket from Tiffanys that he gave her after Daniel was born. A picture of their children tucked inside.

"You wedding ring. You took your wedding ring off." He said numbly. He was transfixed as he looked at her hands.

She said nothing and didn't look at him.

It felt like his heart had been ripped out and he was forced to eat it raw.

"You don't want to be married to me anymore?" He breathed. He felt emotion was in his voice and he didn't care. He knew he was close to crying. The last time he had cried was when his mother died. Or was it when he found out about Becky and his father? He wasn't sure.

"I didn't say that, Arthur." She whispered. Still not looking at him.

"Ariadne, I'm sorry. I'll make it better. Tell me what I have to do to fix it, and I will." He suddenly begged her. "Please. I don't want to lose you."

He had moved closer to her. Wanting to take her into his arms.

The Architect moved away from him.

Something between them had changed. A scratch had appeared in their marriage that marred it beyond repair.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said realizing he had overstepped his bounds. This woman was not his wife anymore. She was his_ estranged_ wife. On trial separation. She could quite possibly be his ex wife very soon.

He composed himself quickly. His hands readjusting his suit. An action that comforted him.

"Alright, so Fridays with Daniel. Pick the kids up at their normal time and bring them back home. Every other weekend with them starting this weekend. Sounds good." He said as he took the calender she made for him.

"I was thinking if Darcy get curious, we just tell her that you've been busy with work. It won't be strange to her if you tell her you're gone so much because of work." Ariadne said.

"Darcy's smart. She'll figure it out." Arthur said glumly.

"For now, I'm telling her you're busy with work." His estranged wife said stubbornly.

Arthur waited for her to say more. For her to say she wanted him to come home. For her to hug him and kiss him. For her to say she was still angry, but they could work it out.  
Ariadne said nothing and Arthur left.

~ "Can someone die from sexual withdrawal?" Eames asked.

Cobb thought about it.  
"I'm not sure, Eames." He said. "And I don't like the direction this conversation is headed." He added throwing the Forger a worried sideways look.

"It's just that with Sadie, I don't know, I guess I got a little addicted to all the sex. She's a very hot blooded woman. Now that we're not together anymore, It's like withdrawal from a drug." Eames confessed.

"You can get addicted to anything. How did the break up go, anyway?" Cobb asked.

"Surprisingly civilized. That worries me." Eames confessed. "Normally, when she's mad at me, we fight till the neighbors call the cops on us. Or if she's really mad, she burns all my clothes or burns me. This time, she didn't say anything. She just told me to get my things and leave. She even said _please_." Eames said.

Cobb looked at the Forger.

"Ariadne was right to tell her what you've been doing. It was wrong to go into her dreams like that. If you didn't want to have children with her, you should have said something." Cobb scolded.

"I know. We were just so compatible on everything else." Eames confessed.

The Forger sighed.

"I was hoping that she would call me by now. She could never stay away long. She wasn't wearing makeup when I last saw her. She looked awful. I hope this isn't too serious." Eames said.

"I think it's serious." Cobb said.

The two men heard the groan of the lift as their Point Man arrived.

"Arthur!" Eames said cheerily. "How is everything?"

The Point Man threw the Forger an angry look.

"We're still working on the job for Richards?" Arthur asked in an angry voice.

"Yeah." Cobb said sadly as they got to work.

None of them mentioning again the turmoil of their home lives.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

~ Ariadne loved her new job. Well, maybe LOVE was too strong a word. She didn't get to build temples and cathedrals that could never exist in the real world anymore, but she could come close.

Her new work was with designing intricate video games. It was a start up corporation that she was freelancing herself to. The design team excited to have her on board when she showed them the marvelous paradoxes she could create to keep the games more challenging and to make it unlike any other game out there.  
"I have a feeling this will revolutionize everything." Seth was saying to her as they left for the day.

Seth was her new boss, but certainly didn't act like one. He was in his mid thirties and had built the little graphic design company from the ground up. He was happy to get someone of Ariadne's talents on his staff. He couldn't afford to pay her much, but she was willing to work for him if her schedule could remain so open.

"Going home to see the little ones?" Seth asked. "Don't suppose I could talk you into going out with the rest of us for drinks, could I?" Seth asked hopefully.

He was handsome and charming. Typical hipster man-child. He wore converse sneakers and some retro inspired T shirt under a blazer. He looked professional but also looked like he was too young to take business seriously.

"I wish I could." Ariadne laughed. She hadn't been out for drink with adults in a long time. She wondered what it was like to be young and unattached again. It felt like it had been too long.

"So I will." She said suddenly.

Seth looked up at her in surprise.  
"Great!" He said happily. "I'll drive."

~ Arthur received a text from Ariadne that she would be a few hours late and asked if he could start dinner for the kids. The Point Man sighed as he picked up Daniel from school.

He knew that he would only be allowed to stay at the house till Ariadne came home. Then, they would say their polite goodbyes, and Darcy and the boys would look sadly at him. Wondering why he had to leave.

"We always see your wife picking up Daniel." A tall and very pretty dark haired woman was saying as the Point Man ventured into Daniel's classroom to collect the toddler.

"Oh, yes. She's working late tonight. I'll be picking him up from now on." Arthur said sadly as he spied his youngest playing with the other children. All of them visually impaired.

"Well, I'm Corrine." The pretty woman with the dark hair said. "I'm assisting Mrs. Lock for my thesis work on disabled children."

"Oh, so you write about... the kids here?" Arthur asked.  
"I don't use real names. It's apart of my doctorate. I'm a double major, children's health and education." Corrine said with teeth so perfect, that they had to have been bleached white.

"That's very interesting." Arthur grumbled.

He chanced a quick look at Corrine as she gathered Daniel's art work. Explaining how he had taken to working with clay.  
"Your wife told us that you would be attending a parent play day. That's good." Corrine said happily. The Point Man averting his eyes from the well of cleavage she had exposed.

"Um yeah." He said as Daniel heard his father's voice and started to crawl to him.

"I don't know if your wife told you what to expect-" Corrine started to say.

"We're separated right now. That's why I'll be picking him up." Arthur said curtly not letting the pretty dark haired teacher finished.

"I'm sorry." Corrine said looking embarrassed but recovering quickly. "Well, like I said, I don't know if she told you what to expect, but it's a very messy and active time. You might want to dress more..." She looked over his three piece suit.

"Casual?" Arthur offered.

Corrine laughed.  
"Yes, casual would be the way to go." She said.

Arthur found he was smiling back.  
"I've never been to one of these things before. Ariadne always took care of everything related to the kids." He said feeling foolish.

"Don't worry, you'll love it." Corrine assured him. "You and Daniel will get to play games, run around, and who knows what else. Some parents say it's the highlight of their week."

Arthur laughed.

"It sound fun." He admitted as Daniel reached him and pulled on his pants leg.

"Daniel?" Corrine said kneeling down to be at eye level with the boy.

Arthur liked that she addressed his blind son this way. That she talked _to_ him and not _at_ him.

The toddler turned to her voice and smiled.

"Your Daddy is here to pick you up. I'll see you tomorrow." She said rubbing the little boy's back.

Arthur scooped up Daniel who started laughing and hugged his father affectionately.

"I'll see you tomorrow to." She told the Point Man who nodded.

~ Not even when she was single had Ariadne had so much fun. She wasn't a drinker, and even though Seth asked her to drink with them, she refused.

The people she worked with were all young and filled with so much energy. Most of them were her age or younger, none of them had kids at home or were even married.

They were a diverse group of hippies, hipsters, minimalist, transients and Eco activists.

One girl looked like a pin up girl from the 40's except for the beautiful artwork of tattoos covering her arms.

"You like?" She asked batting her fake eye lashes. "You need to come with me to get a new one. Maybe just something cute on your ankle." She said in a thick Brooklyn accent.

"I don't think so." Ariadne laughed.

If there was one thing Arthur hated, it was tattoos.

She found herself wishing for just a moment she could step into one of their lives for just a little while.

The girls talked about a trip to Greece that summer. One young man was fresh from a stint in Green Peace. Yet another young man had lived in the red wood forest of California for a few months working with National Geographic.

Seth had spent a year working at various art museums and taking classes there. It was all so exciting. Ariadne had forgotten there was a whole wide world out there besides the house she had had with her family.

She loved her family, she never wanted to leave them for a second, but right at this moment, she wished she could take off for Greece and climb the red wood forests for a few years.

"Don't listen to these hippies." Seth was laughing. "I only hired them because they work cheap." He said. "They sleep on the couch back at the office. They make their _Eat, Pray, Love_ life sound easy and romantic, but it's not that great."

"_Sounds_ cool." Ariadne admitted.

They were outside and Seth was hailing her a cab.

"No, your life sounds cool to me." Seth said. "I've seen pictures of your family. I wouldn't mind coming home to that every night. Instead I go home to an empty flat and a cup o' noddles."

"You'll have to come over sometime. I can cook you dinner." Ariadne offered at her young boss aggressively hailed a taxi for her.

She looked at him in amazement.

"I'm from the Bronx." He said and they laughed.

"What would your husband say if I did come to dinner?" Seth asked.

"Not much. We're separated." She admitted.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He said.

"Yeah. It happens." She said as she got into the cab.  
"See you Monday!" He called after her.

She waved and almost immediately her phone dinged with a text message from Seth.

She laughed at a picture of an angry looking greyhound, dressed in a fairy costume and proclaiming to be the tooth fairy.

She looked at her phone's home screen and cursed at herself. It was after midnight and there were at least a dozen messages from Arthur.

~ She felt like a guilty teenager, sneaking back home as she tried to open her own front door without waking anyone.

Arthur was half asleep on the sofa. He snapped awake at hearing her trying to be so quite.

"Where the hell were you?" He demanded as she realized how silly she looked, holding her heels and trying to tip toe across the living room.

"I was out with my new work friends." She said in a tone that meant it was none of his business.

"I tried calling you. I've _been_ calling you for hours!" He hissed.

He wanted to yell, she could see that, but the kids were obviously asleep and he didn't want to wake them.

"I didn't hear my phone go off." She explained with a shrug. "Are the kids in bed? Did they have dinner. Get a bath?" She asked.

"Yes, all of that." Arthur growled.

"Thank you. It was really nice to be out with friends again." Ariadne said peeking in at the boys sleeping.

"I'm glad you have them this weekend. Sadie wanted to go out. You don't mind?" She asked.

"No, I don't mind." Arthur said. "I like spending time with my children."

"Good." Ariadne said.

They stood in silence for a while.

"I guess I better go." Arthur said feeling the awkwardness creep into the space between them.

She didn't say anything as she walked him to the door.

"Don't forget to lock the door." He reminded her.

"I'll lock it. Thanks, Arthur." She said.

Her voice was like they were friends and nothing more.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

~ "Five years of my life I've wasted on that man!" Sadie fumed.

The leggy spider woman looked nothing like herself lately. Her platinum blond hair was dyed dark brown. Her whorish make up was replaced by simple base and lipstick. She looked more like a super model then ever before.

Ariadne was waiting for Sadie to get ready. Her best friend no longer needing hours to put make up on.

"Sadie, what happened to the all your furniture?" Ariadne asked. Gone were the zebra print rugs and leopard print couch.

"Gave them away." Sadie said. "I don't don't want anything that reminds me of that man."

~ Sadie's whole attitude was different now. She stopped wearing her heels and started dressing more chic and elegant. Her mood and behavior was also radically different.

"I'm fine." Ariadne said in surprise when Sadie asked how she was doing. "Cobb was right. The manic thoughts are fading away. I wake up sometimes and I'm afraid, but I calm down soon enough." Ariadne said as they waited for their server to arrive.

"I meant, how is life without Arthur?" Sadie asked. "I'm on the verge of calling Eames for a round of 'I hate you sex' all the time."

"Don't do that." Ariadne laughed.

She looked at her obviously heartbroken friend. Sadie looked sad and not the happy confident person she once was.

"Sadie, you have to believe I didn't know what Eames was doing. If I had, I wouldn't have let him." The Architect said.

"I know." Sadie sniffed. "Their is no excuse for what he did. If he didn't want to marry me or have babies with me someday, then he should have been honest about it. Not waste my time."

She looked angry.

"I mean, the sex wasn't _that_ good." She added.

Ariadne started to say something.

"Alright, it was that good." Sadie admitted.

~ "Arthur?" Corrine said with a smile.

The Point Man felt odd showing up to his son's school in jeans and a T- shirt. Daniel's pretty teacher was smiling at him and waving him inside.

"The Point Man holding his sons hand as the little boy recognized the noises of his school and tried to run. His father holding his hand so he wouldn't fall.  
"It's okay. You can let him go. Daniel is very advanced." Corrine said.

"Good to hear." Arthur smiled as he watched the little boy interact with the other kids.

The Point Man looked uncomfortable as the other two parents were women.

"I'm not exactly sure what to do." He confessed.

Corrine smile.

"It's kind of like sheep herding." She laughed. "But don't worry, you love it."

~ The Point Man did love it. All day he played with Daniel and the other kids. They played musical chairs and sang songs. They ran through little mazes to which Arthur and Daniel won easily. The little boy clinging to his father as they were both laughing by the end of the day.

"I told you!" Corrine said as she guided Daniel to the children's coat closet area and the little boy put on his own coat. Arthur was amazed at the skills he was learning in this school. Not even Dominic could put his coat on without crying for assistance.

"You were right." Arthur said with a smile. He hadn't had this much fun since he was a child. Who knew silly games could ease all the pain he was going through?

"I have to pick up my other son and my daughter now." Arthur said looking at his watch.

Corrine looked disappointed.

"Well, I guess I'll see you Monday." She said brightly.

Arthur nodded and picked Daniel up.

"See you Monday." He agreed.

~ "Papa, are you and Mama going to get a divorce?" Darcy asked. The Point Man was driving them home and Arthur was startled by the girl's question.

"No, Darcy. Why would you think that?" He asked.

She shrugged.  
"You're never home lately." She explained. "Not since that night Mama got scared and the police came."

"I'm away because I'm working." Arthur told her. "It's only temporary."

"Is it because of my fighting with Phillipa?" Darcy asked.

"No, honey." Arthur sighed. "I'm not home because I'm working. It has nothing to do with you or the boys."

They rode in silence for a while. Finally, Arthur screwed his courage up.

"Darcy? Has Mama been acting scared? Like she did that day?" He asked.

"Not as bad. She cries sometimes. At night when she thinks we're asleep. She goes into the boys room and she cries." Darcy said.

"I see." Arthur grumbled.

~ "I need to move back in." Arthur said as soon as Darcy had run to her room and the Point Man handed Daniel to a smiling Architect.

Ariadne's smile faded.

"Arthur, we agreed we needed to give each other some time." She stared to say. Her face looking angry as Dominic looked up at his parents worriedly.

"Dominic, you and Daniel go play." She said setting the toddler on the floor. His older brother taking his hand the two boys walked to the living room to pull out their toy cars.

The Point Man closed the front door behind him and looked over his wife.

"Darcy says you've been crying at night." He whispered.

"I have. My husband betrayed my trust. He violated my most inner thoughts. How am I supposed to feel?" She asked.

"Ariadne, how long are you going to punish me for this?" Arthur demanded. His voice sharp and angry. "When will it be over?"

"I'm not punishing you!" She suddenly shouted. "I'm trying to find away to forgive the father of my children for doing this to me!"

The boys went quite at the shouting.

"Let's talk about this in the bedroom." Ariadne said more calmly. "I don't want the boys to hear."

~ The Point Man hadn't been in his own bedroom in almost a month now.

"Arthur, you need to give me time. Time to decide what I want to do." She told him.  
"No, we need to work on this together." He said sharply. "I'm sick of living in a hotel room. I'm sick of never seeing my kids except when it's on a _schedule_." He spat out the last word like it was poison.

"Arthur, what if I had hurt the kids because of what you did? What if I had hurt them, and then hurt myself?" She asked. Tears were in her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" He shouted. "Ariadne, I had no idea this would happen!"

"Arthur, I know you're sorry. But that doesn't change anything. It doesn't change what will happen to us. I need to work on forgiving you. I have children with you and I don't want them to hate you." She said on the verge of crying.

Her body language changed. He had known her long enough to know when something was off. Her hands going protectively over her chest and she turned her feet away from him.

"Ariadne, what is it?" He asked.

"You need to be the first to know. No one else knows. I found out I'm pregnant again." She said not looking at him.

It felt like all the air had left his body. A scary, joyful emotion he hadn't felt when she told she was pregnant with the boys.

"That's great. Ariadne, that's wonderful!" He said wanting to hug her.

"Arthur..." She tried to say and opened the bedroom door.

"This is great. I'll move back in and this will be a new start for us." He said reaching for her hand. He missed touching her. Her skin felt softer then he remembered.

"Arthur, I didn't want to get pregnant again." She told him as she peeped out at the boys playing quietly. "I just started a new job... I haven't decided what I'm going to do about this yet."

"WHAT?" Arthur's voice boomed out and Daniel started to cry at the shock of it. The Point Man never raised his voice in this house. His family never saw him angry.

Ariadne looked scared as he pulled her roughly to him. His hand holding her arm a little too hard as he forced her to look at him.

"An ABORTION?" He growled. "You want to kill our child?"

He knew he must look crazed and violent as his wife's eyes went large with fear.

"Daniel." She said feebly as it registered in the Point Man's brain that his youngest was crying.

He relaxed his grip and she escaped to comfort the boys.

"It's okay, sweetheart." She said. Her voice ripe with emotion as she picked up the wailing toddler and Dominic was clinging to her legs. A worried look back on his oldest son's face.  
"Papa?" Darcy's voice came.  
"It's okay, Darcy." Ariadne said not able to stop crying now as she buried her head in Daniel's dark hair. She was trying hard not to cry but she was shaking and the children were crowding around her. Their faces scared as Arthur felt ashamed of himself.

He had caused this misery in his family.

"Arthur, please, just leave." Ariadne cried as she cradled Daniel in her arms. The little boy comforted by his mother's loving touch.

Arthur tried to remember to breath. He counted to ten as he walked out of the apartment and left them.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

~ Arthur had never hit a woman in his life. Not even when he was young and Becky used to throw her shoes at him. Not even when he found out his childhood sweetheart had cheated on him with his own father. Not when he found out his tiny half sister was being abused.

He could never imagine any scenario where he would want to hit Ariadne. But in that moment when he realized she was considering an abortion, he wanted to hit her.

"Here." Cobb said handing the Point Man a glass of vodka.

"She's going to get an abortion. She doesn't want another baby." Arthur sighed. The feeling he might cry again passing over him. Everything he had ever loved felt like it was slipping away.

"You can talk to her about it." Cobb said.

The Extractor looked tired and worn down.

Arthur shook his head.  
"I almost hit her, Dom." the Point Man said. "I _wanted_ to hit her."

Cobb sighed.  
"You'll sleep here tonight, on the couch." The Extractor said. "You'll feel better in the morning."

Arthur shook his head. He would never feel better again.

_~ Ariadne stood out on the balcony. It was a nice, lazy day. Her children were all playing inside. Arthur was sitting on a chair out on the balcony with her._

_They were enjoying the cool air of fall and were happy to get away from the noise of their two boys._

_Ariadne smiled at Arthur as he looked over their newborn daughter. She was precious and dressed in pale baby blue with pink flowers. The Point Man marveling over her mass of dark hair and her perfect fingernails._

_"I think it's time we brought her back inside." Ariadne said with a serene feeling of contentment._

_"Alright." Arthur said with a smile._

_She took her daughter out of Arthur's arms and looked over her little face. She looked like Daniel did when he was that age._

_She smiled and kept her eyes on her daughter as she walked over to the balcony's ledge._

_She threw the baby off before Arthur could stop her._

_Ariadne's heart feeling nothing as Arthur gave out a terrible scream that turned into a heartbroken cry. His arms reaching for the bundle and knowing the baby was already dead on the streets below._

~ Ariadne awoke in the stillness of the apartment in tears. Her hands going to her belly as she realized that it had just been a dream. A strange dream where she had killed her own child and felt nothing.

She held her face in her hands and cried loud anguished sobs as she tried to compose herself.

She was exhausted as she left the bed she once shared with Arthur.

She stole into the boys room and saw they were sleeping peacefully. Daniel's mane of dark, curly hair called to her and she ran her fingers through it.

Without a thought, she gently picked the little boy up out of bed and held him like a stuffed animal. Daniel roused, but fell quickly back to sleep.

She carried her youngest back to bed with her and laid him down on his father's side of the bed.

"I'm sorry." She said kissing her son's hair. Glad for his warm, little body.

In her mind, she was apologizing to the daughter she dreamed she threw off the balcony. How could she dream of such a thing? What kind of a mother was she?

"I'm so sorry." She cried softly as Daniel slept peacefully next to his mother. Unaware of any turmoil.

~ Arthur dreaded seeing Ariadne.

They never spoke now. Not since she had told him she was pregnant and he had reacted so strongly.

He picked the kids up from school, took them home and stayed with them till she got home. She seemed to arrive home later and later each evening. Darcy would always want Arthur to stay. The little girl making up countless excuses why he needed to stay.

She had to show him this, he needed to see that. Arthur making up reasons why he had to leave and that he would be back in the morning to pick them up again.

"How are you doing?" He asked Ariadne one evening as Darcy sulked and watched him go.

"I'm fine." Ariadne said trying to look breezy and carefree.

"No nausea? How far along are you? Two months?" He asked.

"Two months, yes." She told him. "No nausea."

"That's strange. Usually, you would have some morning sickness by now." He said trying to make her see that he cared about her.

"Arthur." She said stiffly.

"Have you made a doctor's appointment yet? I need to go with you." He said.

He longed to touch her. But touching his wife was out of bounds now.

"Good night, Arthur." She said.

"Have you already had the abortion?" He asked. His voice growing hard and edgy.

She looked back at him. Her eyes swimming with tears.

"Good night, Arthur." She hissed and slammed his own front door on him.

~ "I want to stop Ariadne from getting an abortion." Arthur told McClain that evening.

He hadn't bothered to call his lawyer before now. He thought this would all surely blow over with time. But the situation had gotten worse. It was like a sore that was festering and becoming infected.

"Son, the law states she can have an abortion. It's her body and her right." McClain said patiently.

"I don't care!" Arthur shouted. "It's _my_ child!"

McClain sighed.

"You should have called me sooner." The old lawyer said over the phone from New York. "You should have called me the second you two started living apart."

"I want more visitation with my kids." Arthur demanded.

"She already has a very generous visitation schedule for you." McClain said. "You see them a lot more then some dads."

"It's not enough." Arthur said.

"Arthur, we need to talk about assets. If she divorces you, there will be some serious damage to your estate. You didn't make her sign a pre-nup. At the time, your wealth was modest. Since the two of you have been married, your father has died and left you a sizable inheritance, she had been by your side as you rebuilt your father's company and made a lot of money doing it. Now, if she divorces you, then half of everything you have acquired since your marriage will lawfully go to her." McClain said trying to be reasonable.

"You think I care about _money_?" Arthur hissed. "She can have it all. I want my children and I want my baby. She can't be allowed to kill it."

"Arthur." McClain said soberly. "Surely you two can work this out. Maybe see a marriage counselor. You're so good together. You love her still, I can tell."

"No. Not anymore." Arthur lied.

~ Ariadne was shocked at the certified letter that arrived a few days later.

"Arthur, I give you _plenty_ of time with the kids." She told him when he dropped the children off from their weekend with him. Daniel and Dominic hugging their mother as Darcy didn't want to let go of Arthur's hand.

"No fighting." The little girl warned.

"Darcy, go wash your hands for dinner." Ariadne said.

"I'm not hungry." Darcy moaned.

"Do what your mother says." Arthur commanded.

Darcy gave him a worried look and went to wash her hands.  
"Why did you have to get a court order to see the kids?" She hissed as the boys ran off and played.

"I needed to assert my rights." Arthur said. "I have the right to see them when I want to."

Ariadne shook her head and walked away from him. He looked at her for a long time. There were no outward sign she was pregnant. Her body hadn't expanded to show she was with child.

"Did you have the abortion?" He whispered.

"No." She told him curtly. "I never said I was going to. You just assumed that." She told him getting pots and pans down from the cupboard and not looking at him.

"So when you said options..." Arthur asked moving to her. His face confused.

"I meant whether or not I was going to stay married to you. If this baby would have your last name or not." She told him briskly.

"Of course it would have my last name." Arthur said feeling angry.

Ariadne said nothing.  
"I want to go with you to the doctor's appointments." Arthur said standing a little taller. "Like I did with the boys."

Ariadne said nothing.

~ According to the new visitation schedule, Arthur was allowed several hours with the kids after school. This meant they now had to have dinner together as a family once more.

Darcy and the boys were over the moon about the new arrangement. Ariadne still looked angry, but relaxed some when Arthur was there to help give the boys a bath and put them to bed. To tell Darcy to go to sleep.

"Well, I'll guess you'll pick up the kids in the morning." She said as it seemed the obvious time for him to leave.

"No, I didn't get my full visitation." Arthur said.

He felt suddenly bold. Being back home for dinner made him realize he was still the man of the house and not some visitor.

"Four extra hours a day." Ariadne said stubbornly.

"With Darcy and the boys." Arthur agreed. He looked over Ariadne's body greedily.

She stepped back, not understanding.

"Then at least four hours with the baby." He whispered. His hand going to her belly.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

~ Ariadne had always loved the way Arthur paid special attention to her belly whenever she was pregnant. The Point Man becoming a caring, nurturing father who wanted to touch the mysteries of his unborn child.

She tried to relax and breath normally as he laid her down in their bed. Part of her wondering how she had let him talk her into this. Why she didn't just tell him to leave? It was only a ploy to get her to forgive him. She had to admit it to herself, she missed him.

She had to suppress a giggle as Arthur's fingers wandered up her shirt and touched her bare skin.

"Do you think it's a boy of girl?" Arthur asked her as he kissed her belly.

It was too soon for there to be any indication of their child's growth yet.

"I don't know." She whispered.  
"I hope it's a girl." He said softly.

She relaxed into the familiar feeling of being in the same bed as Arthur. It was comfortable. It was easy. It felt perfect and right.

"I know. That's what you wanted when you did the inception on me." Ariadne muttered.

The memory of how they had gotten here came back to them. She would not even be pregnant and he would not be living in a hotel room if he hadn't gone into her dreams.

Arthur tensed slightly and kissed her belly again. His large hands running over her flesh as she felt herself tremble.

"I think I'll read _Walden_." Arthur said at last as he went to her night stand and retrieved her e-reader. "It can work for a boy or girl."

Ariadne nodded as her estranged husband left her shirt ridding high. Exposing the skin of her stomach to the air.

Arthur settled himself into bed with her. His head nestled closer to her belly. She itched to run her fingers through his hair. The way she always did when Arthur would read to her belly while she was pregnant. It was a ritual they would do each night for those months. Arthur's slow, deep voice reading over the words. Ariadne drifting off to sleep as she felt so nurtured and loved. Arthur's hands and lips on her belly making her blush.

"When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone in the woods." Arthur began.

His voice was wonderful and she could feel her breathing ease and her body soften at his steady monotone.

"The evil that men do lives after them." Arthur finished sadly an hour later as she was about to drift off to sleep.

She vaguely thought how fitting the sentence was to their situation. But she was too relaxed. Too at ease to think to much about it. Arthur's lips had returned to her belly then and she roused slightly from her twilight sleep.

"You need to be good, little one." He was whispering to her stomach. She bit her lip hard and tried not to smile. Tried not to let it show how much she loved that.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered to her belly as his lips kissed her flesh again.

Ariadne didn't stop him. She didn't stop him as his kiss lingered on her skin and trialed downward. Didn't stop him as his hands cupped that heated place between her legs.

She moved her hips and spread her legs wider as Arthur's nimble fingers pulled open her slacks and snaked them off her. The air hitting her legs as instantly, his hands were back on her panties.

Her body exploded to life at the feel of his hands on her sex again. She loved when he played with her this way. Loved when those long fingers of his explored the places he already knew so well.

"Arthur." She gasped as she forgot why she should stop him.

His kisses were leaving her belly and going to her panties.

"Arthur!" She panted sharply at the fell of his breath over the nylon that protected her sex from his mouth.

He said nothing as his lips kissed her. His nose nuzzling into the folds of her desire. She was breathing hard and didn't resist as his large hands moved her panties off.

Her hands went to her own breasts. Already sensitive from the early stages of her condition. His hands moved off her panties and his mouth dove back into her again.

She tensed and almost shirked in surprised joy as she tried to clamp her legs shut.

"Arthur!" She panted hotly as she left her top ridding high. Exposing her swollen breasts to the air.

His mouth was on her. His tounge tickling her sensitive sex bud as his large hands forced her legs open and his hot breath made her body convulse.

He ignored her as one of his hands wandered back to her belly caressing it. Her own hand moved off her breast as it found his. The feel of his hands were so wonderful. Out of all his body parts, she loved his hands the most.

The Point Man ravished her with his mouth till she was nearly insane. His tongue on her most responsive places as she squirmed and tried to escape. His hands keeping her in place as he licked and ate of her greedily.

She couldn't stop the orgasm that ripped through her body suddenly.

"Arthur!" She cried out as he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't even slow down as his mouth tormented her. Her poor body tensed and she shuttered out a release as he kept his mouth on her.

"Please." She moaned helplessly.

He was breathing hard to as he finally released her and climbed on top of her. She could feel his rock like erection grazing over her body. His large hands going to his pants and pulling his maleness out. Now that she thought about it, maybe _this_ was the part of his body she loved most. She didn't have time to think again, because his lips claimed hers.

She could taste her own desire on his lips. She tasted salty and warm. His hands roaming between her legs and rubbing her there. Abusing her swollen sex as he dipped in and out. Making her cry with want.

"Please!" She whispered as her husband barely stopped kissing her. "Oh please!" She cried again as those large hands of his knew just how to treat her.

Arthur rolled on top of her and she spread her legs to him. Her desire was hot and wet from his mistreatment, and her inner walls barely resisted the entrance of his enlarged need.

He ground into her so satisfyingly that she felt her body relax and allow him to do what he wanted. His large erection didn't hurt as she could feel every inch of him. How she had missed him. How she had missed the feel of his body on hers. The flesh on flesh contact as his body heat excited her sex even more.

"I'm coming!" She screamed as he rode her. Her body snapping up as if she wanted to escape him.  
Arthur was smiling as his lips nibbled on her tender, swollen breasts.

"Arthur!" She gasped at feel of his teeth on her nipples. "Oh God!" She cried as he wouldn't let her go. Their mating primal as he wouldn't stop.

She fell into her own self pleasure as he forced her climax all around him. He was groaning as she knew her inner passage had tightened around his member and was forcing him to come.

"Baby!" He growled into her ear. "Fuck." He added in his furry that he couldn't stop his completion.

She felt him come inside her. Felt the hot mass of his life force escape his body and find it's way into the new life they had already made.

She was still breathing hard as he was kissing her. His lips were on her skin as she luxuriated in the feel on him resting between her legs.

"I love you." Arthur panted softly into her ear. "I need to come home now."

He eyes snapped open.

"Get out." She said sharply.

"What?"

"Get out." She panted sitting up and pulling her shirt down. The bottom half of her body naked as she tried to cover herself with a sheet.

Arthur looked back at her in amazement.  
"Ariadne." He said. A hurt look on his face.

"You had your visiting hours, now leave." She said feeling like she might cry.

Arthur looked angry. That look of the Point Man coming back to his face.

"Just leave." She told him not looking at him. Clutching the sheet more firmly to her waist.

He looked at her with sad eyes. Defeated eyes.

"I'll pick the kids up in the morning." He whispered, kissing her forehead.

She didn't look at him as he redressed and left her.

**How awesome are JGL's hands? Nice.**


	6. Chapter 6

6.

~ "Darcy, eat." Ariadne told the little girl.  
"I'm not hungry." Darcy whined.

"Darcy, you haven't been eating right for weeks now." Ariadne told her.

Darcy looked tired and her skin was gray. Lately, she had been extremely worn down.

By contrast, Ariadne had woken up in a wonderful mood. Her husband's "visitation" had made her sleep peacefully and she woke up feeling very happy.

"Darcy, I know you're upset about what's happening with your papa and I." Ariadne tried to explain. The Architect bit her lip as Darcy gave her a sad look.

"Are you going to get a divorce?" She asked.

"I don't know." Ariadne admitted. Dominic and Daniel were playing in the living room and ignoring them. It was Ariadne's weekend with the kids, but she knew Arthur would enforce his four extra hours of visitation a day.

"I know that we both love you very much." Ariadne told her.

"If you get a divorce, will I go and live with papa or you?" Darcy asked.

"Darcy, were a long way away from that." Ariadne said.

"Can't papa just come home." Darcy asked. "Please?"

"Darcy, it's more complicated then that." Ariadne told the little girl.

"Why?" Darcy asked.

Ariadne sighed.

"Because it's grown up stuff." Ariadne said at last.

"Like who my real dad is?" Darcy asked.

Ariadne felt her breathing speed up.

"Eat your breakfast." She said at last.

"I'm not hungry." Darcy complained.

~ Arthur didn't come over for his four extra hours that weekend. He didn't call or text his wife. He spent the weekend alone working.

Ariadne thought about calling him, but her pride wouldn't let her.

~ "Hello." Arthur said to a smiling Corrine Monday morning. It was raining outside and the school room was noisy and warm with children laughing and screaming.

"How was your weekend?" She asked as the Point Man sat his son down on the play room floor. Half of him wishing it was already Friday so he could spend the day playing with his youngest.

"Oh, busy. I was working all weekend." Arthur admitted. "Wife had the kids." he explained.

"That's no fun." Corrine said.

Arthur found his feet rooted to the ground. He shifted uncomfortably and watched Daniel wander around the play room. His son's blindness not as obvious as he found toys and started playing.

"So... is it really over between you and your wife?" Corrine asked.

Arthur snapped his attention to her. How pretty Corrine looked with her long dark hair, her slim figure and her bright smile.

"Um... I'm not sure. It's starting to look that way." Arthur admitted sadly.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, we could go out for coffee or something." Corrine said flashing him that bright smile of hers.

Arthur took a step back.

"Like a date?" He asked in surprise.

"Not a date." Corrine assured him. "Just coffee."

Arthur nodded. Coffee sounded like a date.

"Um, that might be alright." He said stiffly. His mind trying to think of the last date he had before meeting Ariadne.

"A get off at 5." She offered. Her slim figure stepping closer to him.

"Alright. I... I um... I drop the kids off at the house and Ariadne will be home before 5." Arthur said trying to imagine going on a date with this woman.

"The little shop with the yellow door?" Corrie offered thinking of a trendy new cafe that catered to the stylish hipsters.  
"Sounds nice." Arthur said with a forced smile.

'_I have a date tonight._' He thought as he left Daniel's school.

~ "I was wondering if your invitation was still open for dinner?" Seth asked that morning as Ariadne wished she could drink coffee. Her pregnancy meant yet another year of no coffee, caffeine, sugar or alcohol.

"Oh, well of course it still does." Ariadne said trying to wake up.

"I'm free tonight." Seth offered.

"Well, I don't know about tonight." Ariadne said lamely as she suddenly remembered Arthur insisting on staying a few extra hours to be with the kids. How would he react if Seth came over?

Her boss gave her his boyish grin and she smiled back at him.

Her cell phoned dinged with a text and she excused herself to look at it.

_ A~_

_ I have a meeting tonight. _

_Please be at the house before 4 o'clock. _

_I won't be able to stay for dinner. _

_If you want me to stay for dinner and a visit with the kids and the baby, I can cancel the meeting._

_ A~_

Ariadne looked over the text from Arthur. She knew he what he was asking. That he was asking to come home. To pretend it all never happened. He was asking if she wanted to be with him again like last night.

"Seth?" She called out. The hipster boss smiled his boy like smile. "Tonight will be great." She told him.

~ Arthur scowled at the text message he received from Ariadne.

_~ A_

_ I'll be home early. _

_Go to your meeting. _

_ A~_

He sighed and felt a twinge of sadness she didn't want him to stay over.

His impromptu visit with their unborn baby last night had been wonderful. He had missed his wife so much this past month and it felt so right to be with her again.

But, she obviously didn't want to be with him.

He tried to push away the thought that he was losing his family. He had a date tonight.

~ Corrine met him at the little cafe. She looked radiant out of her work clothes and she smiled that bright smile at him.

"Glad you made it." she said taking his hand. Arthur almost brushed her hand away. He wasn't used to affection from a woman who wasn't Ariadne.

"Yeah. This place looks interesting." Arthur said stiffly.

"You're a little too well dressed, I think." Corrine laughed as she loosened his tie and slipped it off him.

"Oh." Arthur said unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt.

He_ did_ look out of place in his suit with all these single young people. Corrine talked happily about her work.

"So, you inherited your father's company and managed to turn it around?" She asked. Her smile bright as she seemed interested in him.

"Where did you find that out?" Arthur laughed.

"I Goggled you." Corrine laughed. "I saw you dropping Daniel off and I thought you were very nice looking. I wanted to know more about you." She admitted.

"I'm on Google?" Arthur laughed.

She nodded and smiled.

"An article and picture. You and your wife. She's very pretty." Corrine offered.

"Oh." Arthur said embarrassed. "Yeah, she is."

~ "Darcy, we're going to have my friend over for dinner." Ariadne said that evening as she nervously prepared a lasagna. She liked cooking but was used to fixing simple things for the family. She had come home early and even went to the market in preparation for their dinner tonight.

'_Anyone would think it's a date._' Ariadne scolded herself.

"Why isn't papa going to come for dinner?" Darcy whined.

"Because he's working." Ariadne said feeling too rushed.

Her cell phone rang and the Architect answered it.

"Hello." Sadie's voice came weakly through the phone.

"Oh Sadie. I'm really busy, can I call you back later?" Ariadne asked.

"Oh." Sadie said. Her voice sad.

"I'm sorry, I just, I'm really busy." Ariadne said as she was worried she had overcooked her dinner.

"No, it's fine. I just wanted to say, hi." Sadie said.

"Okay, I'll call you back."

"Goodbye." Sadie said in a child like voice and was gone.

"Mama, I want papa home!" Darcy shouted suddenly.

"Darcy. I can't have this tonight!" Ariadne suddenly snapped. "Papa is not coming home! He may never come home!"

Darcy looked ready to cry and fled to her room when the door bell buzzed.

Ariadne swore under her breath as she turned down the burners on the stove and went to answer the door.

"Hi." Seth said with his boyish grin and handed her a bottle of wine.

"Hello." Ariadne smiled back at him feeling worn out already.

"Smells good." Seth said as she invited him in to the apartment.

Seth looked around in amazement.

"When the cab brought me to this neighborhood, I thought I had read your address wrong. This is a really nice place." he said politely.

"Oh, well Arthur bought this home for us before we got married." Ariadne told him.

It was odd to have Seth in this place that was always home for her and Arthur. A place that the Point Man had bought for their future family.

"Your ex makes a lot of money?" Seth asked with a teasing smile. "It must be odd to go slumming at me and my company."

"No, you know better." Ariadne laughed. "I used to be a poor student. Then, I met Arthur." she shrugged.

"Mommy!" Dominic shouted as he ran into the room.

The little boy shied away from the stranger that was Seth as Ariadne ran a hand over his dark hair. Hair that was strait just like Arthur's.

"Seth, this is my son. Dominic." Ariadne told him.  
"Pleased to meet you, Dominic." Seth said with a laugh as he stooped to shake the little boys hand. Dominic hid behind Ariadne's legs.

Darcy had come out into the living room holding Daniel's hand.  
"This is Darcy and Daniel." Ariadne said nervously.

Introducing him to her three young children felt strange. She suddenly felt like a much older person. She was not yet 30 and was already separated from her husband, with three children and one on the way. Why did it feel her life was so pathetic?

"Kids, this is my friend." Ariadne said as Darcy scowled at the intruder.

"Hello." Seth said giving Darcy his best smile.

Darcy wasn't buying it.

~ It was a strange dinner. Seth provided excellent conversation and told funny stories about his travels. He tried to course Darcy into becoming interested in his company. Telling her she could come on a tour and see all the new video games they were working on.

"All your friends will be jealous." He laughed.

"You're a grown man and you play with _video games_?" Darcy said sarcastically.

"Darcy!" Ariadne scolded.  
"I have to go tot he bathroom." Darcy said and left the table. The boys stayed quite and ate their dinner. Dominic watching Seth. Ariadne couldn't help but see Arthur's face in her oldest son.

Darcy came back and didn't touch her food.

"Darcy, you need to eat. You've lost weight." Ariadne said to her.  
"I'm not hungry." Darcy said. A smug smile on her face.

They finished eating and Darcy took her brothers to their room without being told.

"It's hard for kids. When their parents have trouble." Seth said as he opened the wine. "I've been there before. Having to meet my mom's new boyfriends. Nothing is worse."

"Does it get better?" Ariadne asked as she cleared.

"It depends." Seth admitted. "I had a great step dad. I think of him as my father."

"Darcy has always loved Arthur. It's complicated." Ariadne sighed as she sat on the couch.

"So, do you think you and your husband will be able to work things out?" Seth asked as he sat next to her.

"I'm not sure." She admitted as she drank water.

"You're not drinking the wine I brought." Seth observed.

She shook her head. She couldn't tell him she was a soon to be single mother of three _and_ pregnant. It would be too much. She couldn't think about it now.

"I'm not sure what will happen with us." She admitted. "For now, we're just spending some time apart."

Seth smiled and moved closer to her on the couch.  
"I had a nice time. You're a great cook." He told her.

She blushed and tried to remember what it was like to talk to a man like this who wasn't Arthur. She hadn't dated much in her life. Arthur had been her first real love.

"Seth, I'm not sure if we-" She started to say.

The front door locks turned and broke the private moment between her and Seth.

Ariadne watched in horror as Arthur barged in.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

~ "Arthur!" Ariadne gasped as the Point Man scowled over the scene of his wife and a strange man on the couch together. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"What am I doing here?" Arthur retorted. "Darcy just called me and said a strange man was at the house. She said she was scared. I had to leave the coffee shop and get over here."

The Point Man looked over Seth.

"Who's this?" He waved his hands at Ariadne's boss.

"Arthur, this is Seth. I work for him. Seth, this is my soon to be ex." Ariadne said wearily.

"Soon to be ex?" Arthur laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Darcy!" Ariadne called. She turned back to the Point Man. "Arthur, everything is fine. You can go back to your meeting."

"Papa!" came Darcy's happy shouts as she and Dominic ran to him.

"Darcy, why did you call him?" Ariadne demanded.

Darcy turned around to Seth.

"You have to leave!" She shouted to the intruder as Arthur picked her up.

"Ariadne, I should go." Seth said realizing this was uncomfortable.

"Seth, I'm really sorry." Ariadne said showing him out.

"It's alright. I'll see you tomorrow." Seth said with a forced smile.  
"Get out!" Darcy shouted.

"Darcy." Arthur said sternly putting her down. "You called me, and lied to me about a stranger in the house."

Ariadne locked the front door and walked back to Arthur and the children. Daniel had heard the commotion and wandered out. His fat toddler hands hanging onto Arthur's pant legs.

"He _is_ a stranger!" Darcy shouted.

"Darcy!" Ariadne almost cried when she reached the little girl. Her anger boiling over. "That was my friend. You hurt his feelings and you go to your room right now!"

"NO!" Darcy shouted. "I want papa home. I don't want that guy to be my new papa!" Darcy screamed.

"Darcy!" Ariadne shouted.

"Darcy, go to your room. I'll be in talk to you in a second." Arthur said pulling Ariadne back. The Point Man returning to his voice.

The little girl glared at them both before taking Dominic and Daniel's hands and leading them back to the nursery.

Ariadne said nothing as she watched them go.

"You had a date?" Arthur asked softly. He didn't look at her.

"You're one to talk. Your meeting was at a coffee shop?" She hissed going back to the kitchen and cleaning up.

Arthur didn't say anything to this. He had left Corrine when he had gotten the urgent call from Darcy.

He quickly left Corrine and raced home, only to find another man in his home with his wife. He looked over Ariadne. Her hair was swept up and she was looking lovely in a black dress. Her makeup perfect and she smelled nice.

She certianly thought her and this Seth person had been on a date.

"A lady... she did ask me out. For coffee." Arthur said stiffly.

"Your tie is off. It must have been nice." Ariadne said curtly walking past him.

Arthur fished in his pocket and found his tie.

"Oh, yeah." He sighed. "We just had coffee."

"Seth and I just had dinner." Ariadne said. "I wasn't going to have him stay over."

"Ariadne." Arthur sighed as she slipped out of her heels and went into the bedroom. Ignoring him.

He followed her as she undressed in her closet. The Point Man keeping a respectful distance from the wife he could no longer touch or hold. She came back out in sleep clothes.

"We need to figure this out. Do you want me to give you a divorce?" He asked.

Ariadne didn't look at him.

"Do you want to try and move past this? Because it's what I want. I will do whatever I have to do to keep my family. You and the kids are all I have."

"Arthur." Ariadne sighed.

She would have said more but the phone gave off a sharp ring.

Arthur jumped and answered it.

"Eames? What is it?" Arthur barked into the phone.

Ariadne watched him as his face fell and he looked worriedly at her. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" She asked him.

"Where are you? Alright, we'll be right there." Arthur muttered into the phone.

"Arthur?" Ariadne asked.

Something was _very_ wrong.

Arthur took a deep breath before saying;

"That was Eames. He just took Sadie to the ER. She had overdosed on some pills."


	8. Chapter 8

8.

~ Ariadne felt numb as she got dressed. Arthur called Mrs. Mills and asked her to stay with the children as Architect and Point Man left for the hosptial.

They said nothing as Arthur drove them through the dark streets of Paris.

~ The Forger was waiting for them.  
"I didn't know who else to call." Eames said. His face tear stained and he now looked like a totally different person. Gone was the cockiness and easy smiles. "I found her an hour ago. She was in the bed. She had taken some prescription pills and... I don't know... it might have been an accident." he started to cry.

"Are you Ariadne?" an official looking man said coming to meet them.

"Yes." Ariadne whispered. It felt good to have Arthur there with her. The Point Man's hand catching hers and holding it there.

"We have you listed as Miss Morel's next of kin." the man in the white lab coat said.

"I was her roommate." The Architect whispered.

"She's awake and asking for you." The man in the white lab coat said gently.

~ The leggy spider woman looked shockingly different. She was too thin, and her cheeks and eyes were hallowed. Her once platinum blond hair was dyed a dark brown and her face looked washed out from the lack of make up.

"Hi." Ariadne said coming over to her best friend. Sadie said nothing but looked at the wall.

Ariadne tried not to be scared of the tubes running into Sadie's nose giving her air. The IV in her arm and the fact she looked so pale and worn out.

"Sadie, why did you do this?" Ariadne tried to laugh as she brushed back the leggy spider woman's hair with her fingers.

"Eames wasn't supposed to come by the apartment. I didn't call him. He wasn't supposed to even be in the city." Sadie said in a dead tone.

Ariadne nodded. It was true Eames had made a surprise visit to the apartment he had shared with Sadie. If he hadn't, she would certainly be dead.

"I just... I don't want you to think this is a cry for help or anything. I didn't do this for attention." Sadie said holding back tears.

The spider woman didn't cry. Tears just fell out of the mask that was her face.

"Sadie. Why did you do this? You have any idea how upset I am with you? You're so stupid!" Ariadne said taking a hair brush out of her purse and combing out Sadie's hair.

"You know why." Sadie said softly.

They said nothing as Ariadne combed through the leggy spider woman's hair.

"You know, I'm so jealous of you. You have those wonderful kids. You love them so much. I've never loved anything as much as you love them. You have a life that has _meaning_. It's not the same year after year. When I first started running around with Eames, I really thought he was the one. I could just picture a life with him. He really made me happy." Sadie said.

Her voice ghost like as Ariadne listened.

"But then, I can't explain it, I changed my mind about... _everything_. Now I know why."

"Oh Sadie, Eames loves you. You should see how upset he is over this." Ariadne told her.

Sadie shook her head.

"No. I don't care about Eames anymore. I have nothing because of him." She said.

Ariadne brushed the spider woman's hair and let her talk.

"With Arthur, he did a bad thing, but he never lied to you for years about what he wanted. He never changed who you are. I don't even know who I am anymore. What kind of person would I be if I had never met Eames?"

Sadie sniffed. A crack in the mask.

"Would I have a husband? A family? I look at your life and it's what I want. But how can I know what I want when I have no idea who I really am?" She said.

"Sadie, you're my best friend. You are the person who has always been there for me. The one person who I've never been afraid to show who I really am." Ariadne said sitting close to the leggy spider woman.

The Architect sniffed as she thought about all the times she had shared with Sadie. How the spider woman, despite her faults, looked out for her in her own way.

"You're the only one I've ever been able to talk to about Sammy. I've never even told Arthur that." Ariadne admitted. Saying her little brother's name hurting her deep in her body. "You were the one who convinced me it was alright to love Arthur. Who told me I needed to marry him. Who would _I_ be if I didn't have _you_? What would_ I_ do if I lost you?"

Sadie shook her head and burst into tears. The Architect cradling her like she was a child.

~ "I couldn't wake her up." Eames said gravely. The Forger and Point Man were waiting outside the spider woman's hospital room.

Eames looked especially heartbroken.

"She was just so pale and her lips were blue. I couldn't wake her up. She wasn't returning any of my calls since she found out. If I hadn't had come by for my coat, she might have died." He said.

Arthur remained silent. He remembered all too well Mal's suicide. How heartbroken Cobb was over the loss.

Eames was trying not to cry and failing.

"We did this, Eames." Arthur said sadly. "We did this to the women we love and now were paying the price. We don't deserve to be forgiven."

~ A few days later, Sadie was released from the hospital and went home with the Architect.

Ariadne felt better having her old friend with her again.

"We can rent out the old flat or leave it empty." Ariadne said as she helped Sadie unpack her shockingly small wardrobe.

"Sadie is this the only clothes you have?" She asked the leggy spider woman.

"Yes." Sadie told her looking over the simple little guest room.

Ariadne was about to ask where the banana colored heels were. The purple chiffon skirt. The fish net stockings. Sadie's clothes were black, white or brown. Minimalist style with no personality and very spartan.

Sadie crawled into her bed and went to sleep.

"Sadie, I'll come get you when dinner's ready." Ariadne told her friend.

"You should forgive Arthur." Sadie murmured. The spider woman already pulling blankets over her to conceal herself from the light.

"Sadie... it's complicated." Ariadne whispered.

"He loves you. He did what he did because he loves you. It was wrong. I'm not saying it wasn't, but I've always seen it in his eyes. He loves you so much. I've never had anyone love me as much as he loves you. You should forgive him and let him love you again." She said before going quite.

Ariadne said nothing and closed the guest room door.

~ "I'm not hungry." Darcy whined as Ariadne told her to set the table.

"Your papa will be here for dinner." Ariadne told the little girl. Hopefully, Arthur's presence would be enough to keep Darcy in line. Dominic had started to misbehave as well. Ariadne never realizing how stabilizing a force Arthur was to the children. How Arthur made sure sure they behaved.

"Still not hungry." Darcy said sadly.

Ariadne took a long look at the little girl. She was pale and thin looking. Like Sadie, Darcy had taken to sleeping a lot. Ariadne felt it might just be depression.

"Darcy, I know the past few months have been hard on you." Ariadne said softly.

She wanted to continue, but the door buzzed.

Arthur never let himself into his own house these days. Not since what happened with Sadie. It wasn't his home anymore. It was the home his children lived in with their mother.

When he came to visit with them, he hardly spoke to Ariadne. His focus only on the kids. When he did talk to his estranged wife, it was always questions about the pregnancy.

"I think I need to make an appointment with Darcy's pediatrician." Ariadne said as both Darcy and Sadie didn't eat much at dinner. The spider woman going back to bed. The little girl not even caring the Point Man had been there.

"She might just be depressed." Arthur offered as he helped her load the dishwasher.

"I think it's more to it then that." Ariadne said sadly.

Arthur sighed and looked at Darcy. She was half asleep on the sofa. The boys were playing quietly.

"I'll give the boys a bath and then I'll go." Arthur said coldly.

"Alright." Ariadne told him.

The Point Man and Architect didn't move.

"Are you still seeing that Seth guy?" He asked.  
"I still work for him. But we both agreed I'm not ready to see anyone socially." Ariadne told him cleaning the counter tops.

"Oh." Arthur said.

"Are you still meeting girls at coffee shops?" Ariadne asked. Trying to sound nonchalant.

Arthur gave her a faint smile.

"She didn't care for me running out on her like I did. I was never good at dating. Not before we met and not now." He told her. "I'm not looking for a new romance."

Ariadne nodded.

They stood in silence for a long time watching the boys play.

Arthur leaned over and kissed Ariadne's temple. She didn't pull away and gave him that same little smile he gave her.

"Boys, it's bath time!" He called. The two boys yelling at the Point Man as he herded them to the bathroom.

~ Ariadne sat with Darcy in the exam room when the doctor came back in. She and the little girl were talking about going out for ice cream now that all the blood work and tests were done with.

"We have the test results back." The doctor said soberly. He looked at the little girl. "Darcy? Why don't you go play in the waiting room?"

Darcy looked at Ariadne.

"Go on. It's okay." She said as the little girl stepped slowly off the exam table. Lately she had been complaining about her knees hurting.

"We found the cause of Darcy's anemia. The joint pain." The doctor said offering Ariadne a seat.

"Well?" Ariadne asked.

"Is there anyway your husband can be here?" The doctor asked.

"We're separated. Just tell me what's wrong." Ariadne said feeling panicked.

~ Arthur was at the workshop with Cobb and Eames when his cell phone went off.

He recognized Ariadne's ring tone right away. She almost never called these days.

"Hello?" He said into the phone.

"Arthur!" Ariande was crying.

"Ariadne, what's wrong?" Arthur said standing up and walking to the door. His instincts as a husband and father told him he had to leave work right now and go to her.

"You have to come home!" She cried. "You have to come home _right now_."

"Ariadne, tell me what's happening." Arthur said calmly as he walked to the car. His poor wife was distraught and he knew she needed him.

"It's Darcy. She has cancer." Ariadne cried.

**~ END ~**

**I know. "OMG, Angelofthemorning1978 is so evil! She leaves us all hanging! She makes us all suffer." **

** Well suffer, bitches! LOL! **

** Originally, I was going to kill Sadie off, but I love her too much. Like Sybil, she is one of my faves. **

** Don't worry, I'll update soon. Don't I always?**

** I love you guys so much. No matter what, I love you guys. You brighten my whole life and I will never stop writing if you never stop reading. **


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